Nik "photo-trigger-finger" R.'s Profile

Gluten-Free Options: Nope, unless you count bananas.

Vegan Options: Looks like they've got some tasty salad options

Bathroom: Single occupancy, non-gendered

Sit here for hours with your computer and study or work? ...Probably

Seating is kind of limited, but if you're hip to the PDX fashion of skinny jeans and ironic tee-shirts, you'll fit in at this cozy internet cafe.  Red Square actually offers computers for people to use if they don't bring their own, a rarity this day in age, and the slightly-higher than comfortable chairs and tables are great for making a person feel like a kid again.  The coffee is Stumptown, the tea is tasty, and the decor is modern.  Not a bad little place to spend some time with your computer, but if you're wanting a place to spread out your books and study, you might want to check some place else.

Gluten Free Options: Yep! Although take note that all GF options are baked on premises in proximity to things containing gluten; there are no dedicated options available here.

Bathrooms: Non-gendered single occupancy (Elephant and Donkey, take your pick.)

Sit and study or work for hours with the wifi and a plug: Yes!

This is an inexpensive, hip, but not over-the-top sort of place where all sorts of folks mix.  As I'm writing this, there's a child screaming his head off in the bathroom in a tantrum while his mom tries to quiet him, people talking about window treatments, folks reading newpapers, catching up with neighbors, and studying or working at the tables scattered around the space. It's always busy and always rather noisy, so bring headphones if you want to study.  But if you're looking for a place to plonk where nobody's going to mind, this is it.

Gluten-Free Options: Heck yes! Sammies are on Udi's bread, and they have several tasty gf options available.
Vegan Options: Yep!
Bathrooms: Non-gendered single occupancy

The Bare Bones Bar is my new favorite late-night place. Getting gluten-free food past ten pm in this town is challenging, and getting it with a tasty drink is almost impossible.  Not so at the Bare Bones Bar.  They offer a full menu until 9 pm, but even their "bar food" is tasty and filling, with none of the usual fried-till-dead suspects.  I highly recommend the banana peanut butter bacon (bpbb?) sandwich on gluten free bread; couple it with an adult beverage from the slurpie machine, and you've got a tasty guilty pleasure that'll keep you coming back for more.

Gluten-Free Options: Cider
Bathrooms: Single Occupancy, Non-Gendered

Okay. I first went to Mississippi Studios in 2005, and I'd caught a few shows there in later years - Natalia Zukerman, Chris Pureka and some other awesome queer artists.  Either this place has had a complete renovation or they somehow defy physics and have an awesome cozy upstairs space AND a sweet-as-frack downstairs dance space with mezzanine and vaulted ceilings.  I wouldn't put it past them, as it is Portland, and weird things are known to happen.  Whichever it is, I'm in love with Mississippi Studios as a venue.

One of the great recurring happenings at Mississippi Studios is a queer dance night - MRS.

MRS - Monthly Dance Night
When: Second Saturday of the month, 10:00pm
Cover: $5

Website: http://www.facebook.co...

Despite its name, MRS. is a space for queers of every flavor, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.  The DJs play butt-moving beats, and every month has a different theme. Come dressed to suit or in whatever you're wearing - you'll have a blast!

Gluten Free Options: The tater tots are the only guaranteed GF item on the menu, but GF buns are also available (usually) at an additional charge. They also make cider, both hard and traditional, as well as spirits and wines.
Vegan Options: Tater tots, fries, and most salads, if you're a little creative.
Bathrooms: Single Occupancy.

Happy Hour: Daily from 3-6pm and 10pm-Closing

I hate to say it, but the food quality here has gone seriously downhill over the past several years. Time was one could get a hearty burger and a heaping plate of tots for a decent price, but while the price has stayed the same, the quantity and quality has decreased on both counts. The burger has shrunk to what looks like a pre-frozen patty which tastes like the same 'meat' McDonald's uses, and that pile of tots has become a scattering.

The menu selection has decreased significantly as well - where it used to be a full menu, the offerings now take up one side of a piece of paper. And while there are limited gluten-free offerings -- the aforementioned tots, cider and buns -- I have yet to eat there without having some kind of reaction afterwords. Gluten-free food does not an allergen-aware kitchen make. While this used to be a favorite late-night option for me, I have regretfully come to the conclusion that McMenamins - and not just this one in particular - is off the menu for me.

I hadn't been in the know prior to last night. In fact, I can't begin to tell you how much out of the know I had been. For the last year or so, I'd been hearing about this free queer dance night at The Know, and I'd never even made space to check it out. What was my problem? Free dancing, cheap drinks, hot queers. Can't think of much more that a person could ask for.  

The bathroom is a single occupancy, and when not hosting a queer dance night, it looks like The Know is a nifty little Portland dive bar. That means $1 Pabst on happy hour and a fairly eclectic mix of folk. There's seating, but not too much of it, and a good sized stage for such a small venue.  

Dirt Bag
First Thursday of every month
10pm-Late
Free!

Featuring the beats of DJ Bruce LaBruiser and special guests, the mix is eminently danceable. I can't name all the music that was played last night, but my ears picked up Adele, The Knife, and Enya, among others. Yeah, Enya, tastily remixed to a good beat.  Overall, it was an evening of glamortronic electropop that kept me moving from the moment I walked in till long after I left.  I'll definitely be back.

Gluten-Free Options: Yes! Their crepe is crisp, thin, and composed of a house-made batter.
Vegan Options: Yes!

Of all the carts in PDX, this is probably my favorite because I know that just about any time of the day, any day of the year that I need food NOW I can get a tasty meal (or dessert) fairly fast and without breaking the bank.  While I can never remember the name, as fancy French things are utterly lost on me, that little crepe cart on Hawthorne is my go-to for a bite when everything else is closed. And they've got food for everyone - whether you need to fulfill your hankering for meat with a side of stinky cheese, something with spinach and tofutti or a decadent dessert with plantain and Nutella, you'll find it at Perierra.

Gluten Free Options: Yes! A full separate gluten-free menu

Deschutes is pretty great for the gluten-free crowd: a full menu and knowledgeable servers makes for a reasonably allergen-free experience (at least inasmuch as such can be guaranteed in a brewery and kitchen which also serves glutinous items.) They also have a decent wine selection and a single gluten-free beer which is brewed in-house; it's a bitter red which pairs well with sweet potato fries and an elk burger on their fresh-made gluten-free buns.  

The only downsides are the fact that because it's downtown parking can be problematic and that it is so good! Portland knows they have a gem in Deschutes, and there is often a wait of up to an hour during meal-times, especially on the weekend.

Ugh. I went to this place because it was recommended by a friend and it has wifi. I figured I'd get a cider and multitask - enjoyment with a little bit of work.  

I got in and seated myself and was ignored by the waitstaff until I asked a server if I needed to wait to be seated or not, since if I did I'd missed the sign.  She said no, and I then asked if they had wifi, as it hadn't popped up on my iPhone while I'd been waiting. She responded yes, so I placed an order for a cider and asked to see a menu.  

While waiting for a menu, I popped open my laptop to see if the wifi signal would come up there, and had no luck.  When I finally saw it, it was a measly thing with a poor connection which I never did successfully connect to - even after resetting my wireless card and restarting my computer just in case.  I asked a waitress - a new one, as the first one had apparently passed me off to someone else - if there were ever problems with the connection, and she briskly remarked that people rarely came in "for that" and that she'd never heard of it.  She said she'd ask, but never followed through with me or mentioned if they'd reset the modem, which I have to assume they never did, as the problems persisted through my entire meal.  

I asked my new waitress if there were any specifically gluten-free items on the menu. She went back to the kitchen and told me that the only things were the salads - without the bread.  I said that was fine, since that was what I figured from looking it over, and ordered a half salad with the dressing on the side.  When it finally came out, the salad was literally sopping with an overly sweet honey vinaigrette. I could only choke down about half the salad before setting it aside. The waitress successfully ignored me throughout this entire experience until I had quite obviously pushed my salad and drink away, unfinished.  

In a better restaurant, a server might ask "did you like your meal?" or "was it good?" Instead, she said "Are you done?" when I said yes, she took away my salad and whipped up my check like she couldn't see my backside fast enough.  I paid up and got out, and certainly won't be back.

Gluten Free Options: Yes, yes, yes!
Vegan Options: Yes!

Huckleberry's is some kind of wonderful.  Their gluten-free options are excellent, including an aisle of dedicated food and baking goods, the best gf beer selection I've seen in town, and all manner of tasty treats by the deli.  If you can do gf goods that weren't baked on a dedicated site, they've usually got at least one cake option on premises, but if you can't, you're still in luck! The knowledgeable and friendly deli staff will guide you to an impressive selection of chocolates and locally baked items that are also often vegan.  

If I lived in Spokane, Huckleberry's would be my market of choice, as this is a place that puts their money where their mouth is on offering eco-conscious products.  Instead of the single bottom line of most businesses - profit - Huckleberry's follows a triple bottom line model of profit, people, and planet.  They carry a large number of local products and never fail at providing an friendly and pleasant experience.